TEACHING
I invite students to approach religion not as a static body of beliefs, but as a dynamic and lived tradition shaped by history, interpretation, politics, and everyday life. Whether teaching introductory surveys or advanced seminars, I encourage students to think critically about how religion intersects with questions of power, identity, community, and public life.
My teaching focuses primarily on Islam and Muslim experience in North America, with particular interests in gender, politics, religious authority, representation, and public discourse. I aim to help students situate contemporary debates within broader historical and intellectual traditions while also developing the tools to engage complex social and political questions with nuance, curiosity, and care.
In the classroom, I draw on a wide range of materials—including ethnography, media, film, literature, material culture, and contemporary political debates—to connect academic study to the world students inhabit beyond the university. My courses emphasize critical inquiry, historical context, and rigorous but respectful discussion, encouraging students to grapple thoughtfully with difference, interpretation, and the ethical dimensions of public life.
My commitment to education also extends beyond formal academic settings. In addition to university teaching, I have contributed to public-facing and community-based educational initiatives focused on Islam, public life, and social justice. This work reflects my broader commitment to accessible scholarship and to creating spaces where difficult social, political, and ethical questions can be engaged thoughtfully across lines of difference.
Introducing Islam: From Mecca to Malala
An introduction to the historical development, intellectual traditions, and lived diversity of Islam from its origins to the present. Topics include revelation and scripture, ritual practice, law, gender, politics, authority, colonialism, and contemporary debates surrounding Islam in public life.
Islam in North America
An exploration of Muslim communities in the United States and Canada, with attention to immigration, race, gender, media representation, interfaith engagement, political participation, and questions of belonging and public visibility.
Islam, Gender, and Power
An upper-level seminar examining how gender shapes religious authority, interpretation, embodiment, and public life across diverse Muslim contexts. The course explores feminist thought, masculinity, sexuality, representation, and contemporary political debates.
The Qur’an
A study of the Qur’an as scripture, literary text, interpretive tradition, and lived practice. Students examine the historical development of tafsir alongside contemporary engagements with the Qur’an in ritual, art, politics, and everyday life.